Decorative grass having an appearance simulating the appearance of cloth

ABSTRACT

Decorative grasses having an appearance or texture simulating the appearance or texture of cloth are disclosed, as are methods for making such decorative grasses from materials wherein at least one surface of the material is modified to simulate the appearance or texture of cloth.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 10/238,448,filed Sep. 9, 2002; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/612,535,filed Jul. 7, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,511,735, issued Jan. 28, 2003;which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 09/139,177 filed Aug.24, 1998, now abandoned; which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser.No. 09/098,898 filed Jun. 17, 1998, now abandoned; which claims benefitunder 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of provisional application U.S. Serial No.60/050,867, filed Jun. 26, 1997, now abandoned; the contents of each ofwhich are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0002] Not applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention relates to polymeric materials having anappearance simulating the appearance of cloth on a surface thereof, andmore particularly but not by way of limitation, to flower pot covers,floral wrappings, ribbon materials and decorative grasses made from suchpolymeric materials. In one aspect, the present invention relates tomethods for producing flower pot covers and methods of wrapping floralgroupings and flower pots with a sheet of polymeric material having anappearance simulating the appearance of cloth on a surface thereof toprovide a decorative cover for such floral groupings and flower pots. Inyet another aspect, the present invention relates to methods ofproducing decorative grasses having an appearance or texture simulatingthe appearance or texture of cloth.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sheet of polymeric materialhaving a finish simulating the appearance of cloth on a surface thereofconstructed in accordance with the present invention.

[0005]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sheet of polymeric materialhaving a finish simulating the appearance of cloth on a surface thereofsimilar to the sheet of polymeric material of FIG. 1 wherein a bondingmaterial is disposed along one edge thereof.

[0006]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the sheet of polymeric materialhaving a finish simulating the appearance of cloth on a surface thereofof FIG. 2 having a floral grouping disposed thereon.

[0007]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the floral grouping of FIG. 3being wrapped with the sheet of polymeric material having a finishsimulating the appearance of cloth on a surface thereof of FIG. 2 by onemethod of wrapping.

[0008]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a decorative cover for the floralgrouping formed from the sheet of polymeric material of FIG. 2 whereinthe decorative cover formed from the sheet of polymeric material has aconical configuration.

[0009]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a decorative cover formed from thesheet of polymeric material of FIG. 2 wherein a floral grouping iswrapped with the sheet of polymeric material having a finish simulatingthe appearance of cloth on a surface thereof by a second method ofwrapping so that the decorative cover formed from the sheet of polymericmaterial having a finish simulating the appearance of cloth on a surfacethereof has a substantially cylindrical configuration.

[0010]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a decorative cover positionedabout a flower pot wherein the decorative cover is formed from the sheetof polymeric material having a finish simulating the appearance of clothon a surface thereof of FIG. 1.

[0011]FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a flower pot cover former andband applicator apparatus having the sheet of polymeric material havinga finish simulating the appearance of cloth on a surface thereof of FIG.1 disposed above an opening of the flower pot cover former and bandapplicator and having a flower pot disposed above the sheet of polymericmaterial having a finish simulating the appearance of cloth on a surfacethereof.

[0012]FIG. 9A is a perspective view of a sheet of expanded corepolymeric film having a finish simulating the appearance of cloth on asurface thereof wherein an acrylic heat sealable lacquer is disposed onat least one surface thereof.

[0013]FIG. 9B is a perspective view of a laminated sheet of materialwherein one surface is modified or textured to provide the sheet oflaminated material with a finish simulating the appearance of cloth on asurface thereof.

[0014]FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a preformed pot cover formed froma sheet of the polymeric material having a finish simulating theappearance of cloth on a surface thereof similar to the sheet ofpolymeric material of FIG. 1, a sheet of the expanded core polymericfilm of FIG. 9A, or a laminated sheet of material of FIG. 9B.

[0015]FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the preformed pot cover of FIG.10 having a flower pot disposed therein.

[0016]FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic, cross-sectional view of a male andfemale mold having a sheet of the expanded core polymeric film of FIG.9A disposed therebetween for forming the preformed pot cover of FIG. 10.

[0017]FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a floral sleeve formed from thesheet of polymeric material having a finish simulating the appearance ofcloth on a surface thereof.

[0018]FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the floral sleeve of FIG. 13disposed about a floral grouping.

[0019]FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a floral sleeve having a cinchingmember wherein the floral sleeve is formed from a sheet of polymericmaterial having a finish simulating the appearance of cloth on a surfacethereof.

[0020]FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the floral sleeve of FIG. 15disposed about a floral grouping.

[0021]FIG. 17 is a side view of a sleeve having a detachable portionwherein the sleeve is formed from a sheet of polymeric material having afinish simulating the appearance of cloth on a surface thereof.

[0022]FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the sleeve of FIG. 17 having aflower pot disposed therein.

[0023]FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a flower pot disposed in thesleeve of FIG. 17 wherein an upper portion of the sleeve has beenremoved to provide a decorative cover having a skirt.

[0024]FIG. 20A is a perspective view of a polymeric ribbon materialhaving a finish simulating the appearance of cloth on a surface thereof.

[0025]FIG. 20B is a perspective view of a polymeric ribbon materialformed of an expanded core polymeric film.

[0026]FIG. 20C is a perspective view of a laminated polymeric ribbonwherein at least one surface of the laminated polymeric ribbon ismodified or textured to provide the laminated polymeric ribbon with afinish simulating the appearance of cloth.

[0027]FIG. 21 is a schematic representation of a system for makingdecorative grass having a texture or appearance simulating the textureor appearance of cloth in accordance with the present invention.

[0028]FIG. 22A is a perspective view of a segment of decorative grasshaving a finish simulating the appearance of cloth produced from thepolymeric material having a finish simulating the appearance of cloth ona surface thereof.

[0029]FIG. 22B is a perspective view of a segment of decorative grasshaving a finish simulating the appearance of cloth produced from alaminated polymeric material having a finish simulating the appearanceof cloth on a surface thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Description of FIGS. 1-9

[0030] Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, designated generally by thereference numeral 10 is a sheet or web of polymeric material having atexture and/or appearance simulating the texture and/or appearance ofcloth (hereinafter referred to as the sheet of polymeric material 10 orthe sheet of polymeric material 10 having a cloth-like appearance). Thatis, at least one surface of the sheet of polymeric material 10 has beenmodified to provide a matte or textured finish simulating the appearanceand/or texture of cloth. The term “finish simulating the appearance ofcloth” may be used interchangeably with the terms “cloth-appearingtextured or matte finish”, “cloth-like finish” and “cloth-likeappearance”.

[0031] The term “appearance or texture simulating the appearance ortexture of cloth” as used herein will be understood to include texturesand/or appearances and/or surface modifications of a polymeric materialsuch that the polymeric material is provided with at least one surfacethereof which simulates the texture or appearance of a woven material, anonwoven material, a welded material, a spun bonded material, or aknitted or pressed fabric of fibrous material. The term “appearance ortexture simulating the appearance or texture of cloth” as used hereinwill also be understood to include textures and/or appearancessimulating the texture or appearance of cotton, wool, silk, hair,burlap, and linen, as well as synthetic fibers such as rayon andpolyester, and blends thereof, such as denim. While different types ofcloth have been disclosed hereinabove, it will be understood that apolymeric material having at least one surface thereof modified suchthat the surface is provided with a texture or appearance simulating thetexture or appearance of cloth of the present invention will not belimited to appearances simulating the types of cloth described herein,and the texture or appearance may simulate other types of cloth whichfall within the scope of the invention.

[0032] The modification of the sheet of polymeric material 10 to providethe sheet of polymeric material with a matte or textured finishsimulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth can be accomplished inseveral ways. For example, a matte finish can be provided by printing adesired pattern on the sheet of polymeric material and thereafterlaminating a matte material, such as a translucent polymeric film, overthe printed pattern. To further enhance the appearance or texturesimulating the appearance or texture of cloth of the sheet of polymericmaterial 10, the matte material may or may not have a plurality ofspatially disposed holes extending therethrough. A matte or texturedfinish simulating the appearance of cloth can also be produced byprinting a sheet of polymeric material with a matted (i.e. dull finish)ink, by lacquering at least one surface of the sheet of polymericmaterial with a dull finish lacquer or a matting lacquer, by embossingthe sheet of polymeric material to provide an embossed patternsimulating the weave or texture of cloth, or by flocking the sheet ofpolymeric material, or by application of a foamable lacquer or foamableink to the sheet of polymeric material, or by embossing and printing thesheet of polymeric material to provide embossed and printed patternswherein the embossed and printed patterns may be in registry, out ofregistry, or wherein a portion of the embossed and printed patterns arein registry and a portion of the embossed and printed patterns are outof registry. In addition, a matte or textured finish capable ofproviding the sheet of polymeric material with a texture and/orappearance simulating the texture and/or appearance of cloth can beachieved by extruding a polymeric resin onto a matted or textured chillroll or by laminating a second sheet of material to the sheet ofpolymeric material.

[0033] The sheet of polymeric material 10 having an appearance and/ortexture simulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth has an uppersurface 14, a lower surface 16, and an outer peripheral edge 18. Atleast one surface of the sheet of polymeric material 10, such as thelower surface 16, is matted or textured as described above to providethe sheet of polymeric material 10 with an appearance and/or texturesimulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth. The outer peripheraledge 18 of the sheet of polymeric material 10 comprises a first side 20,a second side 22, a third side 24, and a fourth side 26. A bondingmaterial 27 (FIG. 2) may be disposed on at least a portion of one orboth surfaces of the sheet of polymeric material 10, such as the uppersurface 14 thereof as shown and as further illustrated in U.S. Pat. No.5,181,364, entitled “WRAPPING A FLORAL GROUPING WITH SHEETS HAVINGADHESIVE OR COHESIVE MATERIAL APPLIED THERETO”, issued to Weder on Jan.26, 1993, the specification of which is hereby expressly incorporatedherein by reference.

[0034] The sheet of polymeric material 10 having at least one surfacethereof modified so as to provide the sheet of polymeric material 10with an appearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/ortexture of cloth may be employed to provide a decorative cover for afloral grouping (FIGS. 3 through 6); or to form a decorative cover for aflower pot (FIG. 7); or to form a preformed flower pot cover forcovering a flower pot (FIGS. 10 and 11); or to provide a sleeve forwrapping or covering a floral grouping (FIGS. 13 through 16) or a flowerpot (FIGS. 17 through 19); or to provide a ribbon material having anappearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/ortexture ofcloth (FIGS. 20A through 20C); or to produce decorative grass (FIGS. 21through 22B). The use of the sheet of polymeric material 10 having anappearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/or texture ofcloth to form a decorative cover for a floral grouping or a flower pot,or to form a sleeve for a floral grouping or a flower pot, or to form apreformed flower pot cover, or as a ribbon material or to producedecorative grasses will be described in more complete detail herein.

[0035] As noted above, the sheet of polymeric material 10 having anappearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/or texture ofcloth can be utilized to form a decorative cover for a floral groupingor a flower pot. The term “flower pot” as used herein refers to any typeof container for holding a floral grouping, or a plant, or even anotherpot-type container. Examples of flower pots and/or pot-type containersinclude, but are not limited to, clay pots, wooden pots, plastic pots,pots made from natural and/or synthetic fibers, or any combinationthereof. Such flower pots and/or pot-type containers are provided with aretaining space for receiving a floral grouping. The floral grouping maybe disposed within the retaining space of the flower pot with a suitablegrowing medium described in further detail below, or other retainingmedium, such as a floral foam. It will also be understood that in somecases the floral grouping, and any appropriate growing medium or otherretaining medium, may be disposed in a sleeve formed from the sheet ofpolymeric material 10 if the sleeve is adapted to contain a medium.

[0036] “Floral grouping” as used herein means cut fresh flowers,artificial flowers, a single flower or other fresh and/or artificialplants or other floral materials and may include other secondary plantsand/or ornamentation or artificial or natural materials which add to theaesthetics of the overall floral grouping. Further, the floral groupingmay comprise a growing potted plant having a root portion as well.However, it will be appreciated that the floral grouping may consist ofonly a single bloom or only foliage, or a botanical item (not shown), ora propagule. The term “floral grouping” may be used interchangeablyherein with the term “floral arrangement”. The term “floral grouping”may also be used interchangeably herein with the terms “botanical item”and/or “propagule.”

[0037] The term “growing medium” when used herein means any liquid,solid or gaseous material used for plant growth or for the cultivationof propagules, including organic and inorganic materials such as soil,humus, perlite, vermiculite, sand, water, and including the nutrients,fertilizers or hormones or combinations thereof required by the plantsor propagules for growth.

[0038] The term “botanical item” when used herein means a natural orartificial herbaceous or woody plant, taken singularly or incombination. The term “botanical item” also means any portion orportions of natural or artificial herbaceous or woody plants includingstems, leaves, flowers, blossoms, buds, blooms, cones, or roots, takensingularly or in combination, or in groupings of such portions such asbouquets or floral groupings.

[0039] The term “propagule” when used herein means any structure capableof being propagated or acting as an agent of reproduction includingseeds, shoots, stems, runners, tubers, plants, leaves, roots or spores.

[0040] In the embodiments shown in the drawings, the sheet of polymericmaterial 10 having an appearance and/or texture simulating theappearance and/or texture of cloth is square. It will be appreciated,however, that the sheet of polymeric material 10 having an appearanceand/or texture simulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth can beof any shape, configuration or size as long as the sheet of polymericmaterial 10 is sufficiently sized and shaped to wrap and encompass afloral grouping or a flower pot. For example, the sheet of polymericmaterial 10 may have a rectangular, round, oval, octagonal orasymmetrical shape. Further, multiple sheets of the polymeric material10 may be used in a single circumstance to provide a decorative cover orsleeve for a floral grouping or a flower pot. Moreover, when multiplesheets of the polymeric material 10 having an appearance and/or texturesimulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth are used incombination, the sheets of polymeric material 10 need not be uniform insize or shape. Finally, it will be appreciated that the sheet ofpolymeric material 10 having an appearance and/or texture simulating theappearance and/or texture of cloth shown herein is a substantially flatsheet except for the texturing, matting, embossing, flocking,application of a foamable lacquer or foamable ink, or other treatmentsand techniques employed to provide the sheet of polymeric material 10with the desired texture or matting so that the sheet of polymericmaterial 10 has the appearance of cloth.

[0041] Any thickness or stiffness of the sheet of polymeric material 10may be utilized in accordance with the present invention as long as atleast one surface of the sheet of polymeric material 10 can be modifiedto provide the sheet of polymeric material with an appearance and/ortexture simulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth and the sheetof polymeric material 10 having an appearance and/or texture simulatingthe appearance and/or texture of cloth can be wrapped about at least aportion of a floral grouping or a flower pot, as described herein.Generally, the sheet of polymeric material 10 will have a thickness in arange of from about 0.1 mil to about 30 mil, and more desirably athickness in a range of from about 0.5 mil to about 10 mil.

[0042] The terms “polymer film”, “polymeric film” and “polymericmaterial” when used herein means a synthetic polymer such as apolypropylene or a polyethylene, a naturally occurring polymer such ascellophane, an extruded polymeric material having an expanded core suchas extruded polypropylene having an expanded core and combinationsthereof. The extruded polymeric material having an expanded core mayalso be referred to herein as an expanded core polymeric material.

[0043] “Extruded polymeric material having an expanded core” or“expanded core polymeric film” as used herein means any extrudablepolymeric material or polymeric film in which the core is expandedduring extrusion, such as by incorporation of a blowing agent in thepolymeric resin which is being extruded.

[0044] The sheet of polymeric material 10 may also be constructed, inwhole or in part, from a cling material. “Cling material” when usedherein means any material which is capable of connecting to the sheet ofmaterial and/or itself upon contacting engagement during the wrappingprocess and is wrappable about an item whereby portions of the clingmaterial contactingly engage and connect to other portions of anothermaterial, or, alternatively, itself, for generally securing the materialwrapped about at least a portion of a flower pot. This connectingengagement is preferably temporary in that the material may be easilyremoved, i.e., the cling material “clings” to the flower pot.

[0045] The cling material is constructed, and treated if necessary, frompolyethylene such as Cling Wrap made by Glad®, First Brands Corporation,Danbury, Conn. The thickness of the cling material will, in part, dependupon the size of sleeve and the size of the flower pot in the sleeve,i.e., generally, a larger flower pot may require a thicker and thereforestronger cling material. The cling material will range in thickness fromabout 0.1 mil to about 10 mil, and more desirably from about 0.5 mil toabout 2.5 mil. However, any thickness of cling material may be utilizedin accordance with the present invention which permits the clingmaterial to be modified as hereinbefore described to provide the clingmaterial with an appearance and/or texture simulating the appearanceand/or texture of cloth.

[0046] A decorative cover for a floral grouping (FIGS. 3 through 6), ora decorative cover for a flower pot (FIG. 7), or a preformed flower potcover for covering a flower pot (FIGS. 10 and 11), or a sleeve forwrapping or covering a floral grouping (FIGS. 13 through 16) or a flowerpot (FIGS. 17 through 19), or a ribbon material having an appearanceand/or texture simulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth (FIGS.20A through 20C), or decorative grass (FIGS. 21 through 22B) may also beconstructed of a laminated material (FIG. 9B). The laminated materialhaving at least one surface thereof modified to provide the laminatedmaterial with an appearance and/or texture simulating the appearanceand/or texture of cloth can be produced by laminating two or more sheetsof polymeric film (such as two or more sheets of polypropylene film or asheet of polypropylene film and a sheet of expanded core polymeric film,such as expanded core polypropylene film), or by laminating a polymericfilm (such as polypropylene film or an expanded core polymeric film) topaper, metallized foil and the like wherein at least one surface of thelaminated material is textured or modified to assimilate the weave ortexture of cloth. The only requirements in using a laminated materialhaving an appearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/ortexture of cloth to form a decorative cover for a floral grouping, or adecorative cover for a flower pot, or a preformed flower pot cover forcovering a flower pot, or a sleeve for wrapping or covering a floralgrouping or a flower pot, or as ribbon material or decorative grass inaccordance with the present invention is that at least one surface ofthe laminated material be capable of being modified to provide thelaminated material with at least one surface having an appearance and/ortexture simulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth and that thelaminated material be sufficiently flexible or pliable to permit thelaminated material to be formed into a decorative cover for a floralgrouping, or a decorative cover for a flower pot, or a preformed flowerpot cover for covering a flower pot, or a sleeve for wrapping orcovering a floral grouping or a flower pot, or to be used as ribbonmaterial or decorative grass. It should also be noted that two or moreseparate sheets of material can be used to form a decorative cover for afloral grouping, or a decorative cover for a flower pot, or a preformedflower pot cover for covering a flower pot, or a sleeve for wrapping orcovering a floral grouping or a flower pot as long as one of the sheetsof material is modified or textured to provide same with an appearanceand/or texture simulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth.

[0047] The sheet of polymeric material 10 or a laminated material (FIG.9B) having an appearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/ortexture of cloth may vary in color. Further, the sheet of polymericmaterial 10 or a laminated material may comprise other decorativepatterns or designs in addition to the matting, texturing, flocking,application of foamable lacquers or foamable inks, or embossing employedto impart the appearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/ortexture of cloth to the sheet of polymeric material 10 or the laminatedmaterial.

[0048] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the sheet of polymeric material 10 hasa width 30 extending generally between the first side 20 and the secondside 22, respectively, sufficiently sized whereby the sheet of polymericmaterial 10 can be wrapped about and encompass a floral grouping or aflower pot. The sheet of polymeric material 10 has a length 32 extendinggenerally between the third side 24 and the fourth side 26,respectively, sufficiently sized whereby the sheet of polymeric material10 extends over a substantial portion of the floral grouping when thesheet of polymeric material 10 has been wrapped about the floralgrouping in accordance with the present invention, as described indetail herein. The sheet of polymeric material 10 may also be wrappedabout a flower pot to substantially wrap and cover the flower pot inaccordance with the present invention.

[0049] A plurality of sheets of polymeric material 10 having anappearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/or texture ofcloth may be connected together to form a roll as is shown in U.S. Pat.No. 5,459,976, issued to Weder et al. on Oct. 24, 1995, entitled“MATERIAL AND ADHESIVE STRIP DISPENSER”, the specification of which ishereby expressly incorporated in its entirety herein by reference.

[0050] FIGS. 3-5 illustrate the use of the sheet of polymeric material10 having an appearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/ortexture of cloth in wrapping a floral grouping 34 to provide adecorative cover 36 (FIG. 5) for the floral grouping 34, wherein thedecorative cover 36 has an open upper end 38 and a lower end 40. Thesheet of polymeric material 10 may optionally have the strip of bondingmaterial 27 disposed upon the upper surface 14, the lower surface 16 orboth, such as the strip of bonding material 27 disposed along at least aportion of the upper surface 14 of the sheet of polymeric material 10 soas to be disposed substantially adjacent the fourth side 26 thereofsubstantially as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Further, the sheet of polymericmaterial 10 having an appearance and/or texture simulating theappearance and/or texture of cloth can be provided either as anindividual sheet or from a pad or roll of material.

[0051] The bonding material 27, if present, may have a backing orrelease strip (not shown). The backing or release strip may be leftapplied for a period of time to the bonding material 27 after it isdisposed on a surface of the sheet of polymeric material 10 prior to itsuse as a wrapping material to protect the bonding qualities of thebonding strip.

[0052] In operation, an operator may dispose the sheet of polymericmaterial 10 having an appearance and/or texture simulating theappearance and/or texture of cloth on a support surface (not shown) suchthat the lower surface 16 of the sheet of polymeric material 10 (whichhas been modified to provide the sheet of polymeric material 10 with anappearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/or texture ofcloth) is in contact with the support surface.

[0053] Referring more specifically to FIGS. 3-5, the floral grouping 34is placed upon the upper surface 14 of the sheet of polymeric material10 in a diagonal orientation. The floral grouping 34 has an upper bloomor foliage portion 42 and a lower stem portion 44. The sheet ofpolymeric material 10 is then wrapped about the floral grouping 34 bythe operator (FIGS. 4 and 5), the operator overlapping a portion of thesheet of polymeric material 10 over another portion of the sheet ofpolymeric material 10. That is, for example, the operator places thefirst side 20 of the sheet of polymeric material 10 over the floralgrouping 34, as shown in FIG. 4. The operator continues to roll thefloral grouping 34 and the sheet of polymeric material 10 in thedirection toward the second side 22 of the sheet of polymeric material10 until the upper surface 14 near second side 22 firmly engages thelower surface 16 of the sheet of polymeric material 10, wherein thefloral grouping 34 is substantially encompassed by the sheet ofpolymeric material 10, and wherein the bonding material 27 contacts thesheet of polymeric material 10 to provide the decorative cover 36 havingan appearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/or texture ofcloth which substantially encompasses and surrounds a substantialportion of the floral grouping 34. FIG. 5 shows the floral grouping 34wrapped in a conical fashion to provide the decorative cover 36 for thefloral grouping 34 which has the appearance of being made of a clothmaterial. When the floral grouping 34 is wrapped in a conical fashion,the bloom portion 42 of the floral grouping 34 is exposed near the openupper end 38 of the decorative cover 36, and the stem portion 44 of thefloral grouping 34 is exposed near the lower end 40 of the decorativecover 36.

[0054] In another embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 6, the sheet ofpolymeric material 10 having at least one surface thereof modified toprovide the sheet of polymeric material 10 with an appearance and/ortexture simulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth is utilized towrap the floral grouping 34 in a cylindrical fashion. The floralgrouping 34 is disposed upon the sheet of polymeric material 10approximately parallel to the third side 24 of the sheet of polymericmaterial 10. The sheet of polymeric material 10 is wrapped generallyabout the stem portion 44 of the floral grouping 34 to a positionwherein the third side 24 of the sheet of polymeric material 10generally overlaps the fourth side 26 of the sheet of polymeric material10 in a cylindrical fashion. It should be noted that the sheet ofpolymeric material 10 may be wrapped a plurality of times about the stemportion 44 of the floral grouping 34 before the overlapping of the thirdside 24 and the fourth side 26 of the sheet of polymeric material 10. Asbefore, the portion of the sheet of polymeric material 10 near the thirdside 24 is disposed generally adjacent another portion of the sheet ofpolymeric material 10 and the two adjacent portions then are broughtinto contact where they may be bondingly engaged, thereby securing thesheet of polymeric material 10 generally about the floral grouping 34 soas to provide a decorative cover 36 a for the floral grouping 34 whichhas the appearance of being fabricated of cloth.

[0055] In another version of the invention, the sheet of polymericmaterial 10 having at least one surface thereof modified so as toprovide the sheet of polymeric material 10 with an appearance and/ortexture simulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth may be used towrap a flower pot or pottype container, as noted above Shown in FIG. 7is a flower pot designated by the reference numeral 50 having an openupper end 52, a bottom end 54, an outer peripheral surface 56, and aninner retaining space 58 within which may be disposed a growing medium.The flower pot 50 may contain a botanical item, such as a plant 60,which has an upper portion 62 comprising blooms or foliage or both.

[0056] The sheet of polymeric material 10 having an appearance and/ortexture simulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth may be wrappedabout the flower pot 50 by any one of numerous methods used to wrapsheets of material about flower pots to form decorative pot covers forflower pots, such as a decorative cover 61 having an appearance and/ortexture simulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth disposed aboutthe flower pot 50 illustrated in FIG. 7. The sheet of polymeric material10 may, for example, be formed by hand about the outer peripheralsurface 56 of the flower pot 50 to produce the decorative cover 61 whichhas the appearance of being fabricated of cloth. The decorative cover 61can then be secured about the flower pot 50 by a bonding material or byan elastic band 64 such that the open upper end 52 of the flower pot 50remains substantially uncovered by the decorative cover 61 substantiallyas shown in FIG. 7.

[0057] Referring now to FIG. 8, a flower pot cover former and bandapplicator apparatus 66 for forming the sheet of polymeric material 10having an appearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/ortexture of cloth into the decorative cover 61 for the flower pot 50 ofFIG. 7 is illustrated. The flower pot cover former and band applicatorapparatus 66 comprises a band applicator 68 and a flower pot coverformer 70. The flower pot cover former and band applicator apparatus 66has a support platform 72 with an opening 74 formed therein. A band,such as elastic band 64, is disposed circumferentially about the opening74 in the support platform 72.

[0058] The lower surface 16 of the sheet of polymeric material 10 (whichhas been modified to provide the sheet of polymeric material 10 with atextured or matted surface simulating cloth) is positioned on an uppersurface 76 on the support platform 72 such that the sheet of polymericmaterial 10 is positioned over the opening 74 in the support platform72. The flower pot 50 is positioned above the sheet of polymericmaterial 10 and is moved in a direction 78 into the opening 74 of theflower pot cover former and band applicator apparatus 66. As the flowerpot 50 is moved into the opening 74, the sheet of polymeric material 10is pressed about the outer peripheral surface 56 of the flower pot 50thereby forming the decorative cover 61 about the flower pot 50. Thedecorative cover 61 (which has an appearance and/or texture simulatingthe appearance and/or texture of cloth) is then secured about the flowerpot 50 by the elastic band 64. The flower pot 50 having the decorativecover 61 secured thereto is then moved in a direction 80 out of theopening 74 in the support platform 72.

[0059] The elastic band 64 can be applied manually or automatically suchas by the method shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,599, entitled “MEANS FORSECURING A DECORATIVE COVER ABOUT A FLOWER POT”, issued to Weder on Apr.21, 1992, which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.The band 64 can also be applied as a tie using a method such asdescribed in “Single Station Covering and Fastening System”, U.S. Pat.No. 5,609,009, issued to Weder et al on Mar. 11, 1997, the specificationof which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference. The sheetof polymeric material 10 having an appearance and/or texture simulatingthe appearance and/or texture of cloth can also be applied automaticallyabout the flower pot 50, for example, by methods shown in U.S. Pat. No.4,733,521, entitled “COVER FORMING APPARATUS”, issued to Weder et al. onMar. 29, 1988, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,291,721, entitled “COVER FORMINGAPPARATUS HAVING PIVOTING FORMING MEMBERS”, issued to Weder et al. onMar. 8, 1994, both of which are hereby expressly incorporated herein byreference.

[0060] Instead of securing the decorative cover 61 about the flower pot50 via the band 64, the decorative cover 61 formed from the sheet ofpolymeric material 10 having an appearance and/or texture simulating theappearance and/or texture of cloth may be secured to the flower pot 50by the use of one or more bonding materials. For example, the uppersurface 14 of the sheet of polymeric material 10 may have a bondingmaterial such as the bonding material 27 disposed upon a portionthereof. When the sheet of polymeric material 10 is disposed about theflower pot 50, at least a portion of the upper surface 14 of the sheetof polymeric material 10 contacts the outer peripheral surface 56 of theflower pot 50 and is thereby bonded and held about the flower pot 50 viathe bonding material.

[0061] The bonding material may cover a portion of the upper surface 14of the sheet of polymeric material 10, or the bonding material mayentirely cover the upper surface 14 of the sheet of polymeric material10. The bonding material may be disposed on the upper surface 14 of thesheet of polymeric material 10 in the form of a strip or in the form ofspaced-apart spots. One method for disposing a bonding material on thesheet of polymeric material 10 is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,637,entitled “Method For Wrapping A Floral Grouping”, issued to Weder, etal. on May 12, 1992, which is expressly incorporated herein byreference.

[0062] The term “bonding material” when used herein can mean anadhesive, frequently a pressure sensitive adhesive, or a cohesive or anyadhesive/cohesive combination having adhesive qualities (i.e., qualitiesof adhesion or adhesion/cohesion, respectively) sufficient to cause theattachment of a portion of the sheet of polymeric material 10 to itself,to a floral grouping 34, or to a flower pot 50. Since the bondingmaterial may comprise either an adhesive or an adhesive/cohesivecombination, it will be appreciated that both adhesives and cohesivesare known in the art, and both are commercially available. When thebonding material is a cohesive, a similar cohesive material must beplaced on the adjacent surface for bondingly contacting and bondinglyengaging with the cohesive material. The term “bonding material alsoincludes materials which are heat sealable and, in this instance, theadjacent portions of the material must be brought into contact and thenheat must be applied to effect the seal. The term “bonding material alsoincludes materials which are sonically sealable and vibratory sealable.The term “bonding material when used herein also means a heat sealinglacquer or hot melt material which may be applied to the material and,in this instance, heat, sound waves, or vibrations, also must be appliedto effect the sealing.

[0063] The term “bonding material when used herein also means any typeof material or thing which can be used to effect the bonding orconnecting of the two adjacent portions of the sheet of polymericmaterial 10 to effect the connection or bonding described herein. Theterm “bonding material” may also include ties, labels, bands, ribbons,strings, tapes (including single or doublesided adhesive tapes), staplesor combinations thereof. Some of the bonding materials would secure theends of the material while other bonding materials may bind thecircumference of a cover, or a sleeve, or, alternatively and/or inaddition, the bonding materials would secure overlapping folds in thematerial and/or sleeve. Another way to secure the cover and/or sleeve isto heat seal the ends of the material to another portion of thematerial. One way to do this is to contact the ends with an iron ofsufficient heat to heat seal the material.

[0064] Alternatively, a cold seal adhesive may be utilized as thebonding material. The cold seal adhesive adheres only to a similarsubstrate, acting similarly as a cohesive, and binds only to itself. Thecold seal adhesive, since it bonds only to a similar substrate, does notcause a residue to build up on equipment, thereby both permitting muchmore rapid disposition and use of such equipment to form articles andreducing labor costs. Further, since no heat is required to effect theseal, the dwell time, that is, the time for the sheet of material toform and retain the shape of an article, such as a flower pot cover orflower pot, is reduced. A cold seal adhesive binds quickly and easilywith minimal pressure, and such a seal is not readily releasable. Thischaracteristic is different from, for example, a pressure sensitiveadhesive.

[0065] The term “bonding material” when used herein also means any heator chemically shrinkable material, and static electrical or otherelectrical materials, chemical welding materials, magnetic materials,mechanical or barb-type fastening materials or clamps, curl-typecharacteristics of the film or materials incorporated in material whichcan cause the material to take on certain shapes, cling films, slots,grooves, shrinkable materials and bands, curl materials, springs, andany type of welding method which may weld portions of the material toitself or to the pot, or to both the material itself and the pot.

Description of FIGS. 9-12

[0066] Referring now to FIGS. 9 through 11, a decorative preformedflower pot cover 110 illustrated in FIGS. 10-11 is constructed from asheet of flexible material 112 having at least one surface thereofmodified so as to provide the sheet of flexible material 112 with anappearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/or texture ofcloth (FIG. 9A) or a laminated sheet of flexible material 112 a havingat least one surface thereof modified so as to provide the laminatedsheet of flexible material 112 a with an appearance and/or texturesimulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth (FIG. 9B). In theembodiment shown in FIG. 9A, the sheet of flexible material 112 used inthe construction of the decorative preformed flower pot cover 110comprises a sheet of expanded core polymeric film 114 having an uppersurface 116, a lower surface 118 and a thickness in the range of fromabout 0.5 mil to about 10 mil, more desirably in the range of from about0.6 mil to about 1.25 mil, and a coating of an acrylic heat sealablelacquer 120 disposed on at least one of the upper and lower surfaces 116and 118, respectively, of the sheet of expanded core polymeric film 114.It should be understood, however, that the sheet of flexible material112 is not limited to being the expanded core polymeric film 114 havingan appearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/or texture ofcloth; rather, the sheet of flexible material 112 can be any flexiblepolymeric material (such as the sheet of polymeric material 10 hereinbefore described) or flexible laminated material (such as will bedescribed herein after with reference to FIG. 9B) which can be modifiedor textured so that at least one surface of such polymeric material orlaminated material is provided with a finish or texture simulatingcloth.

[0067] As previously stated, the modification of at least one surface ofthe sheet of expanded core polymeric film 114 to provide the sheet offlexible material 112 with the desired matte or textured finish can beaccomplished by printing a desired pattern on the sheet of expanded corepolymeric film 114 and thereafter laminating a matte material, such as atranslucent polymeric film, over the printed pattern. To further enhancethe appearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/or textureof cloth, the matte material may or may not have a plurality ofspatially disposed holes extending therethrough. A matte or texturedfinish simulating the appearance of cloth can also be produced byprinting a sheet of expanded core polymeric film 114 with a matted (i.e.dull finish) ink, by lacquering at least one surface of the sheet ofexpanded core polymeric film 114 with a dull finish lacquer or a mattinglacquer, by embossing the sheet of expanded core polymeric film 114 toprovide an embossed pattern simulating the weave or texture of cloth, orby embossing and printing the sheet of expanded core polymeric film 114to provide embossed and printed patterns wherein the embossed andprinted patterns may be in registry, out of registry, or wherein aportion of the embossed and printed patterns are in registry and aportion of the embossed and printed patterns are out of registry. Inaddition, a matte or textured finish capable a providing the sheet ofexpanded core polymeric film 114 with an appearance and/or texturesimulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth can be achieved byextruding a polymeric resin onto a matted or textured chill roll toproduce the sheet of expanded core polymeric film 114 or by laminating asecond sheet of material to the sheet of expanded core polymeric film114.

[0068] When the sheet of flexible material 112 is formed into thedecorative preformed flower pot cover 110, a plurality of overlappingfolds 122 are formed and at least a portion of the overlapping folds 122are connected to adjacently disposed portions of the preformed flowerpot cover 110 via the acrylic heat sealable lacquer 120.

[0069] As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the decorative preformed pot cover110 has an upper end 125, a lower end 126, and an outer peripheralsurface 128. An opening 130 intersects the upper end 125, forming aninner peripheral surface 132 which defines and encompasses a retainingspace 133 within which a flower pot 134 containing a floral grouping 136may be disposed in a manner well known in the art.

[0070] In another embodiment, a sheet of flexible laminated material 112a (FIG. 9B) is used in the construction of the decorative preformedflower pot cover 110. The sheet of flexible laminated material 112 acomprises a first sheet of material 114 a having an upper surface 116 aand a lower surface 118 a, and a second sheet of material 120 a. Atleast one surface of the first sheet of material 114 a or the secondsheet of material 120 a is modified to provide the sheet of flexiblelaminated material 112 a with the desired appearance and/or texturesimulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth. The sheet of flexiblelaminated material 112 a having an appearance and/or texture simulatingthe appearance and/or texture of cloth can be produced by laminating twoor more sheets of polymeric film (such as two or more sheets ofpolypropylene film or a sheet of polypropylene film and a sheet ofexpanded core polymeric film, such as expanded core polypropylene film),or by laminating a polymeric film (such as polypropylene film or anexpanded core polymeric film) with a sheet of paper, metallized foil,polymeric film, or combinations or laminates thereof, such as apaper/polymeric film laminate, wherein at least one surface of thelaminated material is textured or modified to assimilate the weave ortexture of cloth. It should be understood, however, that the decorativepreformed flower pot cover 110 can also be formed from a laminated sheetof flexible material 112 a wherein the first sheet of material 114 a isan expanded core polymeric film and the second sheet of material 120 ais a polymeric film, paper or metallized foil and neither of the firstand second sheets of material 114 a and 120 a, respectively, is modifiedto provide the laminated sheet of flexible material 112 a with anappearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/or texture ofcloth.

[0071] The first sheet of material 114 a desirably has a thickness in arange of from about 0.5 mil to about 10 mil, and more desirably fromabout 0.6 mil to about 1.25 mil, and the second sheet of material 120desirably has a thickness in a range of from about 0.5 mil to about 10mil, and more desirably from about 0.6 mil to about 1.25 mil. The secondsheet or material 120 a is desirably laminated to the first sheet ofmaterial 114 a with a colored adhesive so as to impart a desired colorto the laminated sheet of flexible material 112 a. While the thicknessof the sheet of flexible material 112 a can vary widely and willgenerally depend on the thickness of the first sheet of material 114 aand the thickness of the second sheet of material 120 a, desirableresults can be obtained where the sheet of flexible material 112 a has athickness in the range of from about 1 mil to about 20 mil, and moredesirably from about 1.2 mil to about 2.5 mil.

[0072] As previously stated, the decorative preformed flower pot cover110 may be constructed from the sheet of polymeric material 10 (FIG. 1),or the sheet of flexible material 112 (FIG. 9A), or the sheet offlexible laminated material 112 a (FIG. 9B). The preformed flower potcover 110 so formed will have a plurality of overlapping folds 122formed therein, at least a portion thereof being connected. If desired,the decorative preformed flower pot cover 110 can be formed of aplurality of sheets of the same and/or different types of material. Themethod and apparatus employed to form the decorative preformed flowerpot cover 110 is substantially identical whether one uses one or moresheets of the polymeric material 10 (FIG. 1), one or more sheets of theflexible material 112 (FIG. 9A), or one or more sheets of the flexiblelaminated material 112 a (FIG. 9B) or a combination of such sheets ofmaterial. Thus, only the formation of the decorative preformed flowerpot cover 110 using a sheet of the flexible material 112 of FIG. 9A willbe described in detail hereinafter.

[0073] The decorative preformed flower pot cover 110 may be formed usinga conventional mold system 140 comprising a male mold 142 and a femalemold 144 having a mold cavity 146 for matingly receiving the male mold142 (FIG. 12). The sheet of flexible material 112 is positioned betweenthe male and female molds 142 and 144, respectively. Movement of themale mold 142 in the direction 148 and into the mold cavity 146 forcesthe sheet of flexible material 112 to be disposed about the portion ofthe male mold 142 disposed in the mold cavity 146 of the female mold 146and thereby forms the sheet of material 112 into the preformeddecorative flower pot cover 110 (FIGS. 10 and 11). Further, inaccordance with the present invention, the decorative preformed flowerpot cover 110 constructed from the materials described herein above, mayhave a bonding material disposed upon a portion thereof.

[0074] Methods for forming such preformed decorative pot covers are wellknown in the art. Two methods of forming such covers are described inU.S. Pat. No. 4,773,182, entitled “ARTICLE FORMING SYSTEM”, issued toWeder et al. on Sep. 27, 1988, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,291,721, entitled“COVER FORMING APPARATUS HAVING PIVOTING FORMING MEMBERS”, issued toWeder et al. on Mar. 8, 1994, each of which is expressly incorporatedherein by reference.

Description of FIGS. 13-19

[0075] Shown in FIG. 13 is a decorative cover designated therein by thegeneral reference numeral 160 which comprises a flexible bag or sleeve162 of unitary construction having an appearance and/or texturesimulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth in accordance with thepresent invention. The sleeve 162 may be used as a decorative cover 160for a floral grouping or a flower pot. The sleeve 162 initiallycomprises a flexible flat collapsed piece of material which is openablein the form of a tube or sleeve. Such sleeves are well known in thefloral industry. Further, in accordance with the present invention, thedecorative cover 160 can be constructed of the polymeric material 10(FIG. 1), the flexible material 112 (FIG. 9A), or the flexible laminatedmaterial 112 a (FIG. 9B), whereby at least a portion of one surface,preferably an outer peripheral surface 164 of the sleeve 162, has beenmodified to provide the sleeve 162 with an appearance and/or texturesimulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth as previouslydescribed herein. The sleeve 162 has an upper end 166, a lower end 168and the outer peripheral surface 164. The sleeve 162 may be taperedoutwardly from the lower end 168 toward a larger diameter at its upperend 166. In its flattened state the sleeve 162 generally has an overalltrapezoidal or modified trapezoidal shape, and when opened issubstantially frusto-conical to coniform. It will be appreciated,however, that the sleeve 162 may comprise variations on theaforementioned shapes or may comprise significantly altered shapes suchas square or rectangular, wherein the sleeve 162 when opened has acylindrical form, as long as the sleeve 162 functions in accordance withthe present invention in the manner described herein. The sleeve 162 (orany other sleeve disclosed herein) may have an angular or contouredshape.

[0076] The sleeve 162 has an opening 170 at the upper end 166 and may beopen at the lower end 168, or closed with a bottom at the lower end 168.The sleeve 162 also has an inner peripheral surface 172 which, when thesleeve 162 is opened, defines and encompasses an inner retaining space174. When the lower end 168 of the sleeve 162 has a closed lower end168, a portion of the lower end 168 may be inwardly folded to form oneor more gussets (not shown) for allowing the lower portion of the innerretaining space 174 to be expandable, for example, for receiving thecircular bottom of a pot or growing medium.

[0077] The sleeve 162 is generally frusto-conically shaped, but thesleeve 162 may be, by way of example but not by way of limitation,cylindrical, frustoconical, a combination of both frusto-conical andcylindrical, or any other shape, as long as the sleeve 162 functions asdescribed herein as noted above. Further, the sleeve 162 may compriseany shape, whether geometric, non-geometric, asymmetrical and/orfanciful as long as it functions in accordance with the presentinvention. The sleeve 162 may also be equipped with drain holes (ifhaving a closed bottom) or side ventilation holes (not shown), or can bemade from gas permeable or impermeable materials.

[0078] The material from which the sleeve 162 is constructed is the sameas previously described above for the sheet of polymeric material 10having at least one surface thereof modified so as to provide the sheetof polymeric material 10 with an appearance and/or texture simulatingthe appearance and/or texture of cloth, or the sheet of flexiblematerial 112 or 112 a. Any thickness of material may be utilized inaccordance with the present invention as long as the sleeve 162 may beformed as described herein, is provided with an appearance and/ortexture simulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth, and as longas the formed sleeve 162 may contain at least a portion of a flower potor a floral grouping, as described herein. Additionally, an insulatingmaterial such as bubble film, preferable as one of two or more layers,can be utilized in order to provide additional protection for the item,such as a floral grouping, contained therein.

[0079] In FIG. 14 the sleeve 162 is illustrated having an appearanceand/or texture simulating the appearance and/or texture of clothprovided on the outer peripheral surface 164 of the sleeve 162. A floralgrouping 176 is disposed within the inner retaining space 174 of thesleeve 162. Generally, an upper or bloom portion 178 of the floralgrouping 176 is exposed near the opening 170 of the sleeve 162 and alower or stem portion 180 of the floral grouping 176 is exposed near thelower end 168 of the sleeve 162. Either end of the sleeve 162 may beclosed about the floral grouping 176. Generally, a portion of the sleeve162 is tightened about a portion of the stem portion 180 of the floralgrouping 176 for holding the decorative cover 160 about the floralgrouping 176. For example, the sleeve 162 may be held by a tie 182 tiedabout the sleeve 162 such as is shown in FIG. 14. Other methods forbinding the sleeve 162 may be employed such as the bonding methods andmaterials described elsewhere herein. For example, as shown in FIG. 15,a decorative cover 160 a is shown which comprises a sleeve 162 a havingan appearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/or texture ofcloth and a cinching tab 184 having a bonding material 186 disposed upona surface thereof. The cinching tab 184 can be used to gather portionsof the sleeve 162 a together about the stem portion 180 of the floralgrouping 176 as shown in FIG. 16 for holding the sleeve 162 a tightlyabout the floral grouping 176.

[0080] Similarly, it may generally be desired to use the sleeve 162 as adecorative cover for a flower pot (not shown). The flower pot willgenerally contain a botanical item or plant. The flower pot can bedeposited into the open sleeve 162 in a manner well known in the art,such as manually wherein the sleeve 162 is opened by hand and the flowerpot deposited therein.

[0081] As noted above, a bonding material may be disposed on a portionof the sleeve 162 or any sleeve described herein to assist in holdingthe sleeve 162 to the flower pot when the flower pot is disposed withinthe sleeve 162 or to assist in closing the upper end 166 of the sleeve162 or adhering the sleeve 162 to the flower pot after the flower pothas been disposed therein, as will be discussed in further detail below.

[0082] It will be understood that the bonding material, if present, maybe disposed as a strip or block on a surface of the sleeve 162. Thebonding material may also be disposed upon either the outer peripheralsurface 164 or the inner peripheral surface 172 of the sleeve 162, aswell as upon the flower pot. Further, the bonding material may bedisposed as spots of bonding material, or in any other geometric,non-geometric, asymmetric, or fanciful form, and in any patternsincluding covering either the entire inner peripheral surface 172 and/orouter peripheral surface 164 of the sleeve 162 and/or the flower pot.The bonding material may be covered by a cover or release strip whichcan be removed prior to the use of the sleeve 162 or flower pot. Thebonding material can be applied by methods known to those of ordinaryskill in their art. One method for disposing a bonding material, in thiscase an adhesive, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,637, entitled“METHOD FOR WRAPPING A FLORAL GROUPING”, issued to Weder et al. on May12, 1993, the specification of which is hereby expressly incorporatedherein by reference.

[0083] As noted above, a bonding material may be disposed on at least aportion of the inner peripheral surface 172 of the sleeve 162 (or anyother sleeve described herein), or, alternatively, the bonding materialmay be disposed on the outer peripheral surface of a flower potcontained within the sleeve 162, while the sleeve 162 may be free of thebonding material. In a further alternative, the bonding material may bedisposed both on at least a portion of the flower pot as well as upon atleast a portion of the inner peripheral surface 172 of the sleeve 162.In addition, a portion of the bonding material may also be disposed onthe outer peripheral surface 164 of the sleeve 162 as well. It will beunderstood that the bonding material may be disposed in a solid sectionof bonding material. The bonding material, when present, is disposed onthe sleeve 162 and/or flower pot by any method known in the art.

[0084] Certain versions of sleeves described herein may be used incombination with a preformed pot cover. For example, a preformed potcover may be applied to the pot, then the covered pot wrapped ordisposed within a sleeve. Either the cover or the sleeve, or both, mayhave an appearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/ortexture of cloth. Examples of sleeves which may be used in thisinvention are shown in the specification of U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,979,entitled “SLEEVE HAVING A DETACHABLE PORTION FORMING A SKIRT ANDMETHODS”, issued to Weder on May 6, 1997, which is expresslyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Equipment and devicesfor forming sleeves are commercially available, and well known in theart.

[0085] Shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 is another embodiment of a decorativecover 160 b comprising a sleeve having an appearance and/or texturesimulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth constructed from thepolymeric material 10 having at least one surface thereof modified so asto provide the sheet of polymeric material 10 with an appearance and/ortexture simulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth, or theflexible material 112 or 112 a in accordance with the present inventionand designated by the general reference numeral 162 b. The sleeve 162 bhas a “detaching” element in predetermined areas for detaching a portionof the sleeve 162 b. The sleeve 162 b generally initially comprises aflexible flat collapsed piece of material which is openable in the formof a tube or sleeve. The sleeve 162 b is constructed of the samematerial and in the same way as described previously herein and may bedescribed exactly the same as the other sleeves described herein exceptfor the additional elements described hereinafter.

[0086] The sleeve 162 b has an upper end 166 b, a lower end 168 b, andan outer peripheral surface 164 b. The sleeve 162 b has an opening 170 bat the upper end 166 b thereof, and the sleeve 162 b may be open at thelower end 168 b or closed with a bottom at the lower end 168 b. In aflattened state, the sleeve 162 b has a first side 171 and a second side173. The sleeve 162 b also has an inner peripheral surface 172 b which,when the sleeve 162 b is opened, defines and encompasses an innerretaining space 174 b as shown in FIG. 18. When the lower end 168 b ofthe sleeve 162 b has a closed bottom, a portion of the lower end 168 bmay be inwardly folded to form one or more gussets (not shown) forpermitting a circular bottom of an object such as a potted plant 176 bto be disposed in the inner retaining space 174 b of the lower end 168 bof the sleeve 162 b.

[0087] As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the sleeve 162 b is demarcated intoan upper portion 188 and a lower portion 190. The lower portion 190 ofthe sleeve 162 b is generally sized to contain the flower pot 176 b. Theupper portion 188 of the sleeve 162 b is sized to substantially surroundand encompass a plant 192 contained in the flower pot 176 b disposedwithin the lower portion 190 of the sleeve 162 b. The sleeve 162 b isdemarcated into the upper portion 188 and the lower portion 190 by adetaching element 194 for enabling the detachment of the upper portion188 of the sleeve 162 b from the lower portion 190 of the sleeve 162 b.In the present version, the detaching element 194 is a plurality ofgenerally laterally-oriented or alternating diagonally-orientedperforations which extend circumferentially across the outer peripheralsurface 164 b of the sleeve 162 b from the first side 171 to the secondside 173.

[0088] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the lower portion 190of the sleeve 162 b further comprises a base portion 196 and a skirtportion 198. The base portion 196 comprises that part of the lowerportion 190 which, when the flower pot 176 b is placed into the lowerportion 190, has an inner peripheral surface 172 b which issubstantially adjacent to and surrounds an outer peripheral surface 199of the flower pot 176 b. The skirt portion 198 comprises that part ofthe lower portion 190 which extends beyond an open upper end 201 of theflower pot 176 b and adjacent at least a portion of the plant 192contained within the flower pot 176 b and which is left to freely extendat an angle, inwardly or outwardly, from the base portion 196 when theupper portion 188 of the sleeve 162 b is detached from the lower portion190 of the sleeve 162 b by actuation of the detaching element 194.

[0089] In the intact sleeve 162 b, the skirt portion 198 comprises anupper peripheral edge congruent with the detaching element 194 which isconnected to a lower peripheral edge, also congruent with the detachingelement 194, of the upper portion 188 of the sleeve 162 b. In FIGS. 17and 18, the upper peripheral edge of the skirt portion 198 is congruentwith a series of alternating diagonally-oriented lines of perforationswhich together form a zig-zag and comprise the detaching element 194.The upper portion 188 of the sleeve 162 b may also have an additionaldetaching element 200 indicated as a plurality of vertical perforationsfor facilitating removal of the upper portion 188 and which are disposedmore or less vertically therein extending between the detaching element194 of the sleeve 162 b and the upper end 166 b.

[0090] The upper portion 188 of the sleeve 162 b is thereby separablefrom the lower portion 190 of the sleeve 162 b by tearing the upperportion 188 along both the detaching element 200 and the detachingelement 194, thereby separating the upper portion 188 from the lowerportion 190 of the sleeve 162 b. The lower portion 190 of the sleeve 162b remains disposed as the base portion 196 about the flower pot 176 band as the skirt portion 198 about the plant 192 forming a decorativecover 202 as shown in FIG. 19 which substantially surrounds andencompasses the flower pot 176 b and the plant 192 contained therein. Anouter peripheral surface 164 b of the lower portion 190 of the sleeve162 b, for example, the base and skirt portions 196 and 198, may bemodified to provide the lower portion 190 of the sleeve 162 b with anappearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/or texture ofcloth, while the upper portion 188 is left unmodified or is printed witha design. When the upper portion 188 is detached, the lower portion 190of the sleeve 162 b remains about the flower pot 176 b and thereby formsa decorative cover 202 about the flower pot 176 b which has theappearance of a decorative cloth cover.

[0091] “Detaching element” as used herein, means any element, orcombination of elements, or features, such as, but not by way oflimitation, perforations, tear strips, zippers, and any other devices orelements of this nature known in the art, or any combination thereof.Therefore, while perforations are shown and described in detail herein,it will be understood that tear strips, zippers, or any other “detachingelements” known in the art, or any combination thereof, could besubstituted therefor and/or used therewith.

[0092] In a general method of use of sleeve 162 b as a decorative coverfor a flower pot, an operator provides a sleeve 162 b, and the flowerpot 176 b having a plant 192 disposed in a growing medium containedwithin the flower pot 176 b. The operator then disposes the flower pot176 b having the plant 192 contained therein into the sleeve 162 b byopening the sleeve 162 b at its upper end 166 b and assuring both thatthe opening 170 b therein is in an open condition, and that the innerperipheral surface 172 b of the sleeve 162 b is somewhat expandedoutward as well, as shown in FIG. 18. The operator then manually orautomatically disposes the flower pot 176 b into the opening 170 b inthe sleeve 162 b, the flower pot 176 b being disposed generally throughthe upper portion 188 of the sleeve 162 b into generally the lowerportion 190 of the sleeve 162 b, the flower pot 176 b remaining in thelower portion 190 of the sleeve 162 b, permitting the sleeve 162 b tosubstantially surround and tightly encompass the flower pot 176 b. Itwill be understood that alternatively, the sleeve 162 b may be providedwith an extension (not shown) and the sleeve 162 b may be disposed onrods or wickets, and the flower pot 176 b may be disposed in the sleeve162 b either before or after the sleeve 162 b has been removed from thewickets.

Embodiments of FIGS. 20A-20C

[0093] Referring now to FIG. 20A, designated generally by the referencenumeral 210 is a polymeric ribbon material having at least one surfacethereof modified so as to provide the polymeric ribbon 210 with anappearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/or texture ofcloth for forming decorative bows and for wrapping items. That is, atleast one surface of a web of polymeric material (not shown) is modifiedto provide a matte or textured finish 212 simulating the appearance ofcloth. The modification of the web of polymeric material (not shown) toprovide the polymeric ribbon material 210 with a matte or texturedfinish 212 can be accomplished in several ways. For example, thepolymeric ribbon material 210 having the matte or textured finish 212can be produced by printing a web of polymeric material with a matted(i.e. dull finish) ink, by lacquering at least one surface of the sheetof polymeric material with a dull finish lacquer or a matting lacquer,by embossing the sheet of polymeric material to provide an embossedpattern simulating the weave or texture of cloth, or by flocking thesheet of polymeric material, or by application of a foamable lacquer orfoamable ink to the sheet of polymeric material, or by embossing andprinting the sheet of polymeric material to provide embossed and printedpatterns wherein the embossed and printed patterns may be in registry,out of registry or wherein a portion of the embossed and printedpatterns are in registry and a portion of the embossed and printedpatterns are out of registry. In addition, a matte or textured finish212 capable of providing the sheet of polymeric material 210 with anappearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/or texture ofcloth can be achieved by extruding a polymeric resin onto a matted ortextured chill roll. Thereafter, the web of material having anappearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/or texture ofcloth can be cut in a conventional manner to provide the polymericribbon material 210 having an appearance and/or texture simulating theappearance and/or texture of cloth.

[0094] Any polymeric material capable of being textured or otherwisemodified to provide the polymeric material with an appearance and/ortexture simulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth can beemployed in the formulation of the polymeric ribbon material 210. Forexample, the polymeric material employed to produce the polymeric ribbonmaterial 210 can be the polymeric material 10 (FIG. 1), i.e. apolypropylene film having a thickness in a range of from about 0.1 milto about 30 mil, and more desirably of from about 0.5 mil to about 10mil, or the sheet of flexible material 112, i.e., an expanded corepolymeric film having a thickness in a range of from about 0.5 mil toabout 10 mil.

[0095] Referring now to FIG. 20B, designated generally by the referencenumeral 220 is another embodiment of a polymeric ribbon material forforming decorative bows and for wrapping items. The polymeric ribbonmaterial 220 is a laminated material comprising a first web or sheet ofmaterial 222 having a thickness of from about 0.5 mil to about 10 mil,and more desirably from about 0.6 mil to about 1.25 mil, and a secondweb or sheet of material 224 having a thickness in a range of from about0.5 mil to about 10 mil, and more desirably from about 0.6 mil to about1.25 mil. The laminated material having an appearance and/or texturesimulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth can be produced bylaminating two or more sheets of polymeric film (such as two or moresheets of polypropylene film or a sheet of polypropylene film and asheet of expanded core polymeric film, such as expanded corepolypropylene film), or by laminating a polymeric film (such aspolypropylene film or an expanded core polymeric film) with a sheet ofpaper, metallized foil and the like wherein at least one surface of thelaminated material is textured or modified to assimilate the weave ortexture of cloth. The second web or sheet of material 224 is desirablylaminated to the first web or sheet of material 222 with a coloredadhesive so as to impart a desired color to the polymeric ribbonmaterial 220. If desired the polymeric ribbon material 220 may betreated or otherwise processed to provide the polymeric ribbon material220 with a matte or textured finish 226 simulating the weave or knit ofcloth so that the polymeric ribbon material 220 has a cloth likeappearance similar to the polymeric ribbon material 210 hereinbeforedescribed with reference to FIG. 20A. That is, a matte or texturedfinish 226 simulating cloth can be printed on the first web or sheet ofmaterial 222, and thereafter the second web or sheet of material 224(which in this case is desirably a matte material of translucentpolymeric film) is laminated to the first web or sheet of material 222to provide the polymeric ribbon material 220 with an appearance and/ortexture simulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth. To furtherenhance the appearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/ortexture of cloth of the polymeric ribbon material 220, the second web orsheet of material 224 may or may not have a plurality of spatiallydisposed holes extending therethrough. The matte or textured finish 226can be produced by printing at least one of the first and second webs orsheets of material 222 and 224 with a matted (i.e. dull finish) ink, bylacquering at least one surface of at least one of the first and secondwebs or sheets of material 222 and 224 with a dull finish lacquer or amatting lacquer, by flocking at least one of the first and second websor sheets of material 222 and 224, by application of a foamable lacqueror foamable ink to at least one of the first and second webs or sheetsof material 222 and 224, by embossing at least one of the first andsecond webs or sheets of material 222 and 224 to provide an embossedpattern simulating the weave or texture of cloth, or by embossing andprinting at least one of the first and second webs or sheets of material222 and 224 to provide embossed and printed patterns wherein theembossed and printed patterns may be in registry, out of registry orwherein a portion of the embossed and printed patterns are in registryand a portion of the embossed and printed patterns are out of registry.In addition, a matte or textured finish 226 capable of providing thepolymeric ribbon material 220 with an appearance and/or texturesimulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth can be achieved byextruding the resin used to produce one of the first and second webs orsheets of material 222 and 224 onto a matted or textured chill roll.

[0096] Referring now to FIG. 20C, designated generally by the referencenumeral 230 is another embodiment of a polymeric ribbon material forforming decorative bows and for wrapping items. The polymeric ribbonmaterial 230 comprises a polymeric film 232 having an upper surface 234,a lower surface 236 and a thickness in the range of from about 0.1 milto about 30 ml, and more desirably, from about 0.5 mil to about 10 mil.An acrylic heat sealable lacquer 238 is applied to at least one of theupper and lower surfaces 234 and 236 of the polymeric film 232, such asthe lower surface 236 of the polymeric film 232 and the upper surface234 of the polymeric film 232 are desirably modified to provide thepolymeric ribbon material 230 with a matte or textured finish 239simulating the appearance of cloth. The modification of the polymericfilm 232 to provide the polymeric ribbon material 230 with an appearanceand/or texture simulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth can beaccomplished in several ways. For example, the polymeric ribbon material230 having the matte or textured finish 239 can be produced by printinga web of polymeric material with a matted (i.e. dull finish) ink, bylacquering at least one of the upper surface 234 or the lower surface236 of the polymeric film 232 with a dull finish lacquer or a mattinglacquer, by flocking the polymeric film 232, by application of afoamable lacquer or foamable ink to the polymeric film 232, by embossingthe polymeric film 232 to provide an embossed pattern simulating theweave or texture of cloth, or by embossing and printing the polymericfilm 232 to provide embossed and printed patterns wherein the embossedand printed patterns may be in registry, out of registry or wherein aportion of the embossed and printed patterns are in registry and aportion of the embossed and printed patterns are out of registry. Inaddition, a matte or textured finish 239 capable of providing thepolymeric film 232 with an appearance and/or texture simulating theappearance and/or texture of cloth can be achieved by extruding apolymeric resin onto a matted or textured chill roll. Thereafter,polymeric film 232 having an appearance and/or texture simulating theappearance and/or texture of cloth can be cut in a conventional mannerto provide the polymeric ribbon material 230 having a cloth-appearingtextured or matte finish.

[0097] Any polymeric film capable of being textured or otherwisemodified to provide the polymeric material with an appearance and/ortexture simulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth can beemployed in the formulation of the polymeric ribbon material 230. Forexample, the polymeric film 232 employed to produce the polymeric ribbonmaterial 230 can be polypropylene film having a thickness in a range offrom about 0.1 mil to about 30 mil, and more desirably in a range offrom about 0.5 mil to about 10 mil, or an expanded core polymeric filmhaving a thickness in a range of from about 0.6 mil to about 10 mil.

Embodiments of FIGS. 21-22B

[0098] Referring now to FIG. 21, designated generally by the referencenumeral 240 is a system for producing decorative grass 242 having anappearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/or texture ofcloth in accordance with the present invention. That is, at least onesurface of a sheet or web of polymeric material is modified with a matteor textured finish 246 to provide a web of polymeric material 244 havingan appearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/or texture ofcloth (i.e. assimilates cloth in appearance) as hereinbefore described.Thus, the decorative grass 242 produced from the web of polymericmaterial 244 having an appearance and/or texture simulating theappearance and/or texture of cloth will also have a matte or texturedfinish 246 (FIG. 22A) which provides the decorative grass 242 withappearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/or texture ofcloth.

[0099] Any polymeric material capable of being textured or otherwisemodified to provide the web of polymeric material 244 with an appearanceand/or texture simulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth can beemployed to produce the decorative grass 242 having an appearance and/ortexture simulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth including thesheet of polymeric material 10 (FIG. 1), the sheet of flexible material112 (FIG. 9A), or the sheet of flexible laminated material 112 a (FIG.9B). For example, the polymeric material employed to produce the web ofpolymeric material 244 having an appearance and/or texture simulatingthe appearance and/ortexture of cloth can be polypropylene film having athickness in a range of from about 0.1 mil to about 30 mil, and moredesirably of from about 0.5 mil to about 10 mil, or an expanded corepolymeric film having a thickness of from about 0.5 mil to about 10 mil,or laminates having a thickness of from about 1 mil to about 20 mil. Thelaminates which can be used to produce the web of polymeric material 244having an appearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/ortexture of cloth can be formed by laminating two or more webs ofpolymeric film (such as two or more webs of polypropylene film or a webof polypropylene film and a web of expanded core polymeric film, such asexpanded core polypropylene film), or by laminating a polymeric film(such as polypropylene film or an expanded core polymeric film such asexpanded core polypropylene film) with paper, metallized foil and thelike. The only requirement in using a laminate to produce the web ofpolymeric material 244 having an appearance and/or texture simulatingthe appearance and/or texture of cloth is that at least one surface ofthe laminate be capable of being modified to provide the laminate withat least one surface having an appearance and/or texture simulating theappearance and/or texture of cloth.

[0100] The modification of the web of polymeric material 244 to providethe matte or textured finish can be accomplished in several ways. Forexample, the web of polymeric material 244 having the matte or texturedfinish which provides the web of polymeric material 244 with theappearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/or texture ofcloth can be produced by printing a web of polymeric material with amatted (i.e. dull finish) ink, by lacquering at least one surface of theweb of polymeric material with a dull finish lacquer or a mattinglacquer, by embossing the web of polymeric material to provide anembossed pattern simulating the weave or texture of cloth, or byflocking the web of polymeric material, or by application of a foamablelacquer or foamable ink to the web of polymeric material, or byembossing and printing the web of polymeric material to provide embossedand printed patterns wherein the embossed and printed patterns may be inregistry, out of registry or wherein a portion of the embossed andprinted patterns are in registry and a portion of the embossed andprinted patterns are out of registry. In addition, a matte or texturedfinish capable of providing the web of polymeric material 244 with anappearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/or texture ofcloth can be achieved by extruding a polymeric resin onto a matted ortextured chill roll.

[0101] Referring again to FIG. 21, a roll 248 of the web of polymericmaterial 244 having a matte or textured finish 246 is supported on amandrel 250 having a brake assembly 252 operably connected thereto sothat the web of polymeric material 244 having a matte or textured finish246 can be controllably withdrawn from the roll 248. The web ofpolymeric material 244 having a matte or textured finish 246 is passedthrough a pair of tension or nip rollers 254 and 256 and into a slitteror shredder unit 258 where the web of polymeric material 244 having amatte or textured finish 246 is slit to provide a slit web of polymericmaterial 260 having a plurality of strips of predetermined width. Theslitting of the web of polymeric material 244 having a matte or texturedfinish 246 to produce the slit web of polymeric material 244 having aplurality of strips of predetermined width can be accomplished using anywell known method and device. Such common methods of slitting the web ofpolymeric material 244 having a matte or textured finish 246 include:(a) slitting the web of polymeric material 244 having a matte ortextured finish 246 to produce side-by-side strips of material whereinthe longer dimension of the strips is in the direction of travel of theweb of polymeric material 244 having a matte or textured finish 246,i.e. the machine direction; or (b) slitting the web of polymericmaterial 244 having a matte or textured finish so that the longerdimension of the strips of material are oblique to the direction oftravel of the web of polymeric material 244 having a matte or texturedfinish, i.e. obliquely to the machine direction.

[0102] The slit web of polymeric material 260 having a plurality ofstrips of predetermined width is then passed through a cutting unit 262where the strips of the slit web of polymeric material 260 are cut intosegments to form the decorative grass 242 having at least one surfacewith a matted or textured finish 246 which provides the decorative grass242 with an appearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/ortexture of cloth. A segment 264 of the decorative grass 242 having atleast one matted or textured surface 246 which provides the decorativegrass 242 with an appearance and/or texture simulating the appearanceand/or texture of cloth is illustrated in FIG. 22A.

[0103] Any conventional device and method can be employed as the slitteror shredder unit 258 for slitting of the web of polymeric material 244to produce the slit web of polymeric material 260 having a plurality ofstrips of predetermined width and as the cutting unit 262 for cuttingthe strips of the slit web of polymeric material 260 to form thedecorative grass 242 having an appearance and/or texture simulating theappearance and/or texture of cloth. Examples of conventional deviceswhich can be used as the slitter or shredder unit 258 and/or as thecutting unit 262 are rotary knives, reciprocating knives, die cutting,laser cutting, water jet cutting, air jet cutting and the like.

[0104] The decorative grass 242 having an appearance and/or texturesimulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth produced by cuttingthe strips of the slit web of polymeric material 260 can then beconveyed to a storage area (not shown) which may be in the form of asuitable bin, or the decorative grass 242 having an appearance and/ortexture simulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth may beconveyed to a packaging machine, or conveyed to a baling machine forbaling prior to storage. As other alternatives, the decorative grass 242having an appearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/ortexture of cloth may be placed into boxes or cartons, subjected tofurther processing immediately or held for subsequent processing.

[0105] Referring now to FIG. 22B, designated generally by the referencenumeral 266, is a segment of a decorative grass 268 having an appearanceand/or texture simulating the appearance and/or texture of clothproduced from the flexible sheet of laminated material 112 a having anappearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/or texture ofcloth hereinbefore described with reference to FIG. 9B, except that boththe upper and lower surfaces of the laminated material 112 a is providedwith a matted or textured finish so that the decorative grass 268 isalso provided with a matte or textured finish 270 on an upper and lowersurface 272 and 274, respectively, of the segments of the decorativegrass 268, such as the segment 266 illustrated in FIG. 22B. However, itshould be understood that the decorative grass 268 having an appearanceand/or texture simulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth can beproduced from any laminated material where at least one surface of thelaminated material can be modified, such as by matting or texturing, toprovide the laminated material with an appearance simulating cloth.

[0106] The decorative grasses having an appearance and/or texturesimulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth prepared in accordancewith the present invention, such as the decorative grass 242 (FIG. 22A)and the decorative grass 268 (FIG. 22B) can also be provided withvarious types of curl configurations, can be crimped or otherwisemodified. That is, in addition to providing the webs of material fromwhich the decorative grasses are produced with a matted or texturedsurface which assimilates cloth, various types of curls, crimps andcombinations thereof can be imparted to the webs of material prior toslitting the webs of material to produce slit webs of material, or tothe slit web of material prior to cutting the slit webs of material toproduce the decorative grasses having an appearance and/or texturesimulating the appearance and/or texture of cloth. Any method orapparatus capable of imparting the desired curl and/or crimp to the websof material so that the decorative grasses produced from such webs ofmaterial possess both a curl and/or crimped configuration and anappearance and/or texture simulating the appearance and/or texture ofcloth can be employed to impart a curl and/or crimp to the webs ofmaterial. Examples of various methods and apparatus which may be used toimpart curl configurations to the webs of material employed to producedecorative grasses having an appearance and/or texture simulating theappearance and/or texture of cloth are described in co-pending U.S.patent application U.S. Ser. No. 08/879,242, entitled “Method andApparatus For Making Curled Decorative Grass” which is hereby expresslyincorporated herein by reference. Crimping machines capable of impartingthe desired crimp to the webs of material so that the decorative grassesproduced from such webs of material possess a crimped configuration, aswell as having a paper-like appearance are well known and commerciallyavailable. One method for imparting a crimp configuration to the webs ofmaterial so that the decorative grasses produced from such webs ofmaterial possess a crimped configuration, as well as having a paper-likeappearance, is disclosed in copending U.S. patent application U.S. Ser.No. 08/796,182, entitled “Method Of Forming Curled Or Crimped DecorativeElements Having An Optical Effect” which is hereby expresslyincorporated herein by reference.

[0107] Changes may be made in the construction and the operation of thevarious components, elements and assemblies described herein or in thesteps or the sequence of steps of the methods described herein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in thefollowing claims.

What is claimed:
 1. A method for producing decorative grass having anappearance or texture simulating the appearance or texture of cloth, themethod comprising the steps of: providing a sheet or web of polymericmaterial having an upper surface and a lower surface wherein at least aportion of one of the upper and lower surfaces thereof is printed toprovide the sheet or web of polymeric material with an appearance ortexture simulating the appearance or texture of cloth on at least aportion of one surface thereof; and cutting at least a portion of thesheet or web of polymeric material into segments to produce decorativegrass having an appearance or texture simulating the appearance ortexture of cloth on at least a portion of one surface thereof.
 2. Themethod of claim 1 wherein, in the step of providing the sheet or web ofpolymeric material, the sheet or web of polymeric material has athickness in a range of about 0.5 mil to about 10 mil.
 3. The method ofclaim 1 wherein, in the step of providing the sheet or web of polymericmaterial, the appearance or texture simulating the appearance or textureof cloth is provided by printing at least a portion of one of the upperand lower surfaces of the sheet or web of polymeric material with amatted ink.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein, in the step of providingthe sheet or web of polymeric material, the appearance or texturesimulating the appearance or texture of cloth is provided by printing atleast a portion of one of the upper and lower surfaces of the sheet orweb of polymeric material with a foamable ink.
 5. The method of claim 1wherein the step of cutting at least a portion of the sheet or web ofpolymeric material to form decorative grass comprises: slitting thesheet or web of polymeric material to provide a slit polymeric materialhaving a plurality of strips; and cutting the plurality of strips of theslit polymeric material into segments to form decorative grass having anappearance simulating the appearance of cloth on at least a portion ofone surface thereof.
 6. A method for producing decorative grass havingan appearance or texture simulating the appearance or texture of cloth,the method comprising the steps of: providing a sheet of flexible,laminated material comprising: a polymeric film having an upper surfaceand a lower surface; and a sheet of material laminated to at least oneof the upper and lower surfaces of the polymeric film, at least aportion of one surface of one of the polymeric film and the sheet ofmaterial laminated thereto being printed to provide at least a portionof one surface of the sheet of flexible, laminated material with anappearance or texture simulating the appearance or texture of cloth suchthat the decorative grass produced from the sheet of flexible, laminatedmaterial is provided with an appearance or texture simulating theappearance or texture of cloth; and cutting at least a portion of thesheet of flexible, laminated material into segments to producedecorative grass having an appearance or texture simulating theappearance or texture of cloth on at least a portion of one surfacethereof.
 7. The method of claim 6 wherein, in the step of providing thesheet of flexible, laminated material, the sheet of material laminatedto the polymeric film is selected from the group consisting of polymericfilm, paper, metallized foil and combinations or laminates thereof. 8.The method of claim 7 wherein the sheet of material laminated to thepolymeric film is a polymeric film selected from the group consisting ofpolypropylene, polyethylene and expanded core polymeric film.
 9. Themethod of claim 8 wherein the sheet of material laminated to thepolymeric film has a thickness in the range of about 0.5 mil to about 10mil.
 10. The method of claim 6 wherein, in the step of providing thesheet of flexible, laminated material, the appearance or texturesimulating the appearance or texture of cloth is provided by printing atleast a portion of one surface of one of the polymeric film and thesheet of material laminated thereto with a matted ink.
 11. The method ofclaim 6 wherein the step of cutting at least a portion of the sheet offlexible, laminated material to form decorative grass comprises:slitting the sheet of flexible, laminated material to provide a slitlaminated material having a plurality of strips; and cutting theplurality of strips of the slit laminated material into segments to formdecorative grass having an appearance simulating the appearance of clothon at least a portion of one surface thereof.
 12. A method for producingdecorative grass having an appearance or texture simulating theappearance or texture of cloth, the method comprising the steps of:providing a sheet or web of polymeric material having an upper surfaceand a lower surface, the sheet or web of polymeric material having alacquer disposed on at least a portion of one of the upper and lowersurfaces of the sheet or web of polymeric material wherein the lacquerprovides at least a portion of one of the upper and lower surfaces ofthe sheet or web of polymeric material with an appearance or texturesimulating the appearance or texture of cloth; and cutting at least aportion of the sheet or web of polymeric material into segments toproduce decorative grass having an appearance or texture simulating theappearance or texture of cloth on at least a portion of one surfacethereof.
 13. The method of claim 12 wherein, in the step of providing asheet or web of polymeric material, the sheet or web of polymericmaterial has a thickness in a range of about 0.5 mil to about 10 mil.14. The method of claim 12 wherein, in the step of providing a sheet orweb of polymeric material, the lacquer is a matting lacquer.
 15. Themethod of claim 12 wherein, in the step of providing a sheet or web ofpolymeric material, the lacquer is a foamable lacquer.
 16. The method ofclaim 12 wherein the step of cutting at least a portion of the sheet orweb of polymeric material to form decorative grass comprises: slittingthe sheet or web of polymeric material to provide a slit polymericmaterial having a plurality of strips; and cutting the plurality ofstrips of the slit polymeric material into segments to form decorativegrass having an appearance simulating the appearance of cloth on atleast a portion of one surface thereof.
 17. A method for producingdecorative grass having an appearance or texture simulating theappearance or texture of cloth, the method comprising the steps of:providing a sheet or web of flexible, laminated material comprising: asheet or web of polymeric material having an upper surface and a lowersurface; a sheet or web of material laminated to at least one of theupper and lower surfaces of the sheet or web of polymeric material; anda lacquer disposed on at least a portion of one surface of one of thesheet or web of polymeric material and the sheet or web of materiallaminated thereto, wherein the lacquer provides at least a portion ofone surface of the sheet or web of flexible, laminated material with anappearance or texture simulating the appearance or texture of cloth; andcutting at least a portion of the sheet or web of flexible, laminatedmaterial into segments to produce decorative grass having an appearanceor texture simulating the appearance or texture of cloth on at least aportion of one surface thereof.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein, inthe step of providing a sheet of flexible, laminated material, the sheetor web of polymeric material has a thickness in a range of about 0.5 milto about 10 mil, and the sheet or web of material laminated thereto hasa thickness in a range of about 0.5 mil to about 10 mil.
 19. The methodof claim 17 wherein, in the step of providing a sheet of flexible,laminated material, the sheet or web of material laminated to the sheetor web of polymeric material is selected from the group consisting ofpolymeric film, paper, metallized foil and combinations or laminatesthereof.
 20. The method of claim 17 wherein, in the step of providing asheet of flexible, laminated material, the lacquer is a matting lacquer.21. The method of claim 17 wherein the step of cutting at least aportion of the sheet of flexible, laminated material to form decorativegrass comprises: slitting the sheet of flexible, laminated material toprovide a slit laminated material having a plurality of strips; andcutting the plurality of strips of the slit laminated material intosegments to form decorative grass having an appearance simulating theappearance of cloth on at least a portion of one surface thereof.
 22. Amethod for producing decorative grass having an appearance or texturesimulating the appearance or texture of cloth, the method comprising thesteps of: providing a sheet or web of polymeric material having an uppersurface, a lower surface, a printed pattern on at least a portion of oneof the upper and lower surfaces thereof and an embossed pattern on atleast a portion of one of the upper and lower surfaces thereof, whereinthe printed pattern and embossed pattern cooperate to provide the sheetor web of polymeric material with an appearance or texture simulatingthe appearance or texture of cloth on at least a portion of one surfacethereof; and cutting at least a portion of the sheet or web of polymericmaterial into segments to produce decorative grass having an appearanceor texture simulating the appearance or texture of cloth on at least aportion of one surface thereof.
 23. The method of claim 22 wherein, inthe step of providing a sheet or web of polymeric material, the sheet orweb of polymeric material has a thickness in a range of about 0.5 mil toabout 10 mil and is selected from the group consisting of polypropylene,polyethylene and expanded core polymeric film.
 24. The method of claim22 wherein, in the step of providing a sheet or web of polymericmaterial, the printed pattern and the embossed pattern are in registerwith one another.
 25. The method of claim 22 wherein, in the step ofproviding a sheet or web of polymeric material, the printed pattern andthe embossed pattern are out of register with one another.
 26. Themethod of claim 22 wherein, in the step of providing a sheet or web ofpolymeric material, at least a portion of the printed pattern is inregister with a portion of the embossed pattern, and at least a portionof the printed pattern is out of register with a portion of the embossedpattern.
 27. The method of claim 22 wherein, in the step of providing asheet or web of polymeric material, the printed pattern is provided byprinting at least a portion of one of the upper and lower surfaces ofthe sheet or web of polymeric material with a matted ink.
 28. The methodof claim 22 wherein, in the step of providing a sheet or web ofpolymeric material, the printed pattern is provided by printing at leasta portion of one of the upper and lower surfaces of the sheet or web ofpolymeric material with a foamable ink.
 29. The method of claim 22wherein the step of cutting at least a portion of the sheet or web ofpolymeric material to form decorative grass comprises: slitting thesheet or web of polymeric material to provide a slit polymeric materialhaving a plurality of strips; and cutting the plurality of strips of theslit polymeric material into segments to form decorative grass having anappearance simulating the appearance of cloth on at least a portion ofone surface thereof.
 30. A method for producing decorative grass havingan appearance or texture simulating the appearance or texture of cloth,the method comprising the steps of: providing a sheet or web ofpolymeric material having an upper surface and a lower surface whereinat least a portion of one of the upper and lower surfaces thereof ismodified to provide the sheet or web of polymeric material with anappearance or texture simulating the appearance or texture of cloth onat least a portion of one surface thereof; and cutting at least aportion of the sheet or web of polymeric material into segments toproduce decorative grass having an appearance or texture simulating theappearance or texture of cloth on at least a portion of one surfacethereof.
 31. The method of claim 30 wherein, in the step of providingthe sheet or web of polymeric material, the sheet or web of polymericmaterial has a thickness in a range of about 0.5 mil to about 10 mil.32. The method of claim 30 wherein the step of cutting at least aportion of the sheet or web of polymeric material to form decorativegrass comprises: slitting the sheet or web of polymeric material toprovide a slit polymeric material having a plurality of strips; andcutting the plurality of strips of the slit polymeric material intosegments to form decorative grass having an appearance simulating theappearance of cloth on at least a portion of one surface thereof.